Concert Review: Eklipse, Delain, Kamelot

Hey everyone, I'm going to do Stuck In My Skull's first ever concert review! Last night, Amanda and I and a few other folks went to see Eklipse and Delain open for Kamelot, and it was amazing.

First up, Eklipse. Eklipse is a German string quartet with some really excellent costumes and even better sound. This is their first tour in the US, and I don't really fault them for not really having refined their act that well to focus their stage presence. In addition, they seemed to be suffering from a touch of technical difficulties, but overall, they were excellent. Interspersing original tracks with covers and and some excellent spins on some tradition classics (dubstep cover of "Sweet Dreams" by Eurythmics comes to mind), Eklipse did an excellent job of opening the night. Their set was about 30 minutes.

After that, the first big name act was up: Delain. Delain had some serious technical glitches during their show, working through three broken mics by my count. Despite this, their performance was incredibly amazing, generating new fans and turning die-hard veterans weak at the knees. Delain put out a magnificent show, fearlessly spearheaded by the gorgeous Charlotte Wessels, and rocked us all for about an hour.

Now, let's talk about the stars of the show: Kamelot. I had the presence of mine to jot down a setlist between prolonged episodes of headbanging, fist pumping, and screaming myself silly like the raving fanboy I am.

1. Rule the World
2. Ghost Opera
3. The Great Pandemonium
4. Veritas
5. Center of the Universe
6. The Human Stain
7. Song for Jolee
8. Eden Echoes
9. Sacrimony (Angel of Afterlife)
10. My Confession
11. Forever
12. Karma
13. Torn
14. March of Mephisto

And now, I will spend some time writing ridiculously florid prose in an attempt to capture some of the essence of the show. Kamelot emerges into a screen of light and smoke and stands with stage presence that is nearly impossible to describe, filing one-by-one onto the stage and standing before the audience like dark gods resplendent in their majesty. They command silence and screaming frenzy by the twitch of a finger. They are truly masters of their craft, weaving bass, guitar, keyboard, drums, and the amazing vocals of Tommy Karevik to perfect results. And there were any who still doubted the ability of Mr. Karevik, they are now certainly silenced -- his performance on songs both old and new was exemplary. Their set was neatly broken up by instrumentals performed by most members of the band, giving their fellows a quick break and the audience time to pick their jaws up from the floor. Seeing Kamelot is a distinct privilege, and you should definitely go see them. They are amazing, their shows are perfect, and the English language cannot convey the awesomeness that is their tour. Go. See. Kamelot.

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Stuck In My Skull 440 -- "My Confession"

Song: "My Confession" || Artist: Kamelot feat. Eklipse || http://youtu.be/oSylbQEHhVo ||

Comments: Happy Thursday, and what a happy Thursday it is! I just discovered this video, and I am beyond pumped about this. I love this song, and I really wasn't expecting Kamelot to release another single off Silverthorne besides their first single, "Sacrimony." This song is excellent. Oddly, it starts with lyrics heard in another song on the album -- the intro song "Manus Dei." Can we say 'concept album?' Yes we can! And I most certainly love it. Once again, new-to-the-band vocalist Tommy Karevik proves he is more than capable of replacing long-time singer Roy Khan, and brings his own excellent style to the band. Also, he has stage presence that Roy Khan never did. His vocals fit perfectly with the instrumentation on this track, partially provided by an excellent string quarter called Eklipse. I'm honestly surprised that the song "Silverthorne" wasn't the next single from the album -- given the fact that it's the title track and all -- but this song is so masterfully arranged that I don't begrudge it the primacy. "My Confession" is a beautiful piece, and seeing this released as the next single/video really makes my day. Enjoy!

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Stuck In My Skull 425 -- "Karma"

Song: "Karma" || Artist: Kamelot || http://youtu.be/Tjh0HEe22ys ||

Comments: Hello, everyone! Sorry for the missed post -- I was beyond exhausted, and I just asked Amanda to cover for me. So, for today's post, I figured it was high time to step back into some metal, and "Karma" is the perfect song to do it with. The title track off Kamelot's album of the same name, "Karma" is one of the songs that originally piqued my interest in Kamelot when I was first exploring metal. It is a masterful showcase of Roy Khan's magnificent voice and the instrumentation really brings out the more melodic side of Kamelot. Even if I weren't such a sucker for concept albums, I would be all over both this album in general and this track in particular, because it sounds amazing. Check it out!

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Stuck In My Skull 408 -- "Don't You Cry"

Song: "Don't You Cry" || Artist: Kamelot || http://youtu.be/crZ3OMS-fBU ||

Comments: Hello, everyone, and happy Monday! Or at least, try to have a happy Monday, because there's really no sense hating Monday just for the sake of it being Monday. Mondays happen, weekly, and if they didn't, then Tuesday would be the new Monday. Point is, wasting energy hating Monday is well, wasting energy.
Today's song was stuck in my head last night as I was trying to get some work done. I actually ended up listening to the album this track is from -- their fifth album Karma -- on repeat something like six or seven times. It's a great album, if you haven't heard it. It encompasses a well-executed range of tempos and levels of intensity, with some surprisingly pretty and quiet songs such as this one. The song "Ne Pleure Pas" is included on some releases of the album, and as best I can tell, seems to be the same song sung in French. Roy Khan was still the vocalist on this album, and his voice reminds me why I originally fell in love with Kamelot. (The fact the songs "Karma" and "Forever" are on this album also helps; They were among my first Kamelot songs I really listened to.) As far as the album goes, the notes on Wikipedia confirm my suspicions about this song's relation to "Ne Pleure Pas," and are pretty interesting. About the song itself, it's very pretty, and definitely worth a listen. Enjoy!

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Stuck In My Skull 400: Songs Revisited, Part I -- "Memento Mori"

Songs Revisited, Part 1 || Song: "Memento Mori" || Artist: "Kamelot" || http://youtu.be/Kymf6m4sVWM ||

    Album Version: http://youtu.be/Kymf6m4sVWM
    Live Version: http://youtu.be/JnYW1xeixAE
Comments: Hello, everyone, and welcome to the four hundredth entry of Stuck In My Skull! I first started this blog on July 16, 2011, and it's been quite a journey for me. This blog is nearly two years old, and I've loved every second of it. Throughout the last (nearly) two years, I've posted some of my favourite songs on this blog, and I confess, there are a few songs that I don't feel I really did justice at the time -- this week will be a week of Songs Revisited, so I can go back and really talk about those tracks that I slighted the first time. Way back in Entry 52, I posted the song "Memento Mori" for the first time. I said when I wrote that entry that I was using that song as filler, because I felt too sick to write anything else or find anything new. "Memento Mori" is one of my favourite songs of all time, and it deserves better than being a filler entry.

"Memento Mori" is the 12th and longest track on Kamelot's seventh studio album, The Black Halo. Released in 2005, The Black Halo is a concept album that finishes telling the story began in Kamelot's previous album Epica. Epica and The Black Halo are a rock-opera telling the story of the alchemist Ariel, whose story is losely based on Goethe's Faust. In "Memento Mori," Ariel's interplay with Mephisto is beautifully concluded in a three-voice ballad of eye-watering beauty, featuring then Kamelot vocalist Roy Khan voicing Ariel, Mari Youngblood (wife of Kamelot guitarist Thomas Youngblood) voicing Helena, and Dimmu Borgir vocalist Shagrath grunting the part of Mephisto. The song opens with a piano and vocal number at slow tempo, before the guitars and drums are introduced with an up-shift of the tempo as the action begins to unfold. As Ariel realizes his control of his own destiny, the song shifts between descending chords and mellow melodies, leading up to simultaneous introduction of Mari and Shagrath as Mephisto grunts and Helena sings in overlapping Latin, joining together on the line "memento mori." Ariel, in his last moments, rejects the evil of Mephisto. Helena intercedes and asks God to save him, and Mephisto loses his bet and is cast into hell as Ariel's soul ascends to heaven to be with Helena's. Finally, the action settles to a calm out-tro, mirroring the vocal and piano intro to the song. The last note hangs as someone (probably Helena) whispers "Ariel... Ariel... Ariel..." into the silence.

There are not words for how much I love this song. Seriously, this song moves me like few other tracks can. The album version is my favourite, but the live version (recorded in Belgrade, Serbia) is also excellent. It features a slightly faster tempo; a more prominent, chugging guitar; and the voice of Shagrath is far more prominent, with Helena's being either occulted or missing. The live version is slightly rougher yet more adrenaline-pumping, whereas the album version is a slightly calmer piece, and a refined and beautiful work. If you've never heard the song, you absolutely must check it out. Enjoy!

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Stuck In My Skull 396 -- "The Human Stain"

Song: "The Human Stain" || Artist: Kamelot || http://youtu.be/4n3LobCY5HE ||

Comments: It's been awhile since I've posted anything by Kamelot, so I figured it would be a good day to come back to one of my favourite bands of all time. This song is excellent, one of the most prototypic examples of symphonic/prog metal I've yet encountered. The chugging guitars of the opening contrasts wonderfully with the delicate piano that follows, quickly blending into a blood-pumping, adrenaline-surging, head-banging cacophony of awesome. For some reason, I always confuse this track (which is from the Ghost Opera album) with "The Great Pandemonium", which is taken from the Poetry for the Poisoned album, and I'm really not sure why. Maybe I'll have to cover that song soon -- it's just as epic. Enjoy!

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ETC #49 "Up Through the Ashes"

Song: "Up Through the Ashes" ~ Artist: Kamelot

~ http://youtu.be/OG4FjG81h6w ~

Comments:  Happy Thursday, everyone!  I have been a musical recluse recently, however, I did decide today that some metal would be a good way to keep my mind occupied from the insanity that has been this week.  The songs that I wanted to use have all been taken by fellow blogger, Christopher. While I wasn't thrilled with this it did give me a reason to listen to some of their music with which I'm not so familiar.  The song that caught my eye was this one (obviously).  It has a soothing, beautiful instrumental to start and then turns into the typical, powerful metal.  Turns out this is also a great motivating song for running.  I wish I had more to say about this song, but happy listening!

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Stuck In My Skull 320 -- "Sacrimony (Angel of Afterlife)"

Song: "Sacrimony (Angel of Afterlife)" || Artist: Kamelot || http://youtu.be/ORAc_hx33-Q ||

[youtube: http://youtu.be/ORAc_hx33-Q]

Live version: http://youtu.be/a74TZSlnTW4

Comments: Well ladies in gentlemen, I'm writing this a bit after midnight on 10/30/12. It's unlikely that my area will lose power from the Superstorm Sandy, but just in case, no harm in having this done the night before. If you're in an area that will be or has been affected by the storm, stay safe. Anyway-- song. I originally saw this song when I went and saw Kamelot touring with Nightwish this fall, and it was fantastic live. For that reason, I found a live version with good sound quality, and included it above. Kamelot is excellent with their new vocalist. While music videos were never Kamelot's forte, metal is, and this song is fantastic. If the storm hasn't blown you away, the song will.

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Entry 278-- "House on a Hill"

Song: "House on a Hill" || Artist: Kamelot || http://youtu.be/0iqsA0evxoQ ||

Comments: Happy Wednesday, folks! "House on a Hill" is one of the prettier songs off Kamelot's album Poetry for the Poisoned, featuring Simone Simons of Epica. It's a very melodic duet, with an exellent blend of vocals and instruments, spread nicely across all the instruments Kamelot uses. Roy Khan and Simone Simons are an excellent duo, and I hope Khan's replacement, Tommy Karevik, does as well. Enjoy the song!

Edit: Thanks to Miriah for catching that this song didn't post today, sorry about that!

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Entry 238-- "Hunter's Season"

Song: "Hunter's Season"
Artist: Kamelot

http://youtu.be/eJjwMBgDkX8
Comments: To all our readers from the USA, happy flag-waving patriotic barbeques and fireworks day! To the rest of you... Happy Wednesday! Anyway, song. This song is one of the best songs off the 'Poetry for the Poisoned'' album, in my opinion. I am definitely a fan. Actually, I'm a fan of this entire album, and for that matter, everything Kamelot has created. Anyway, the song is excellent-- check it out!

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Entry 71-- Symphonic Metal Week, Part 5: "Ghost Opera" - Kamelot

Symphonic Metal Week, Part 5
Song: "Ghost Opera"
Artist: Kamelot
http://youtu.be/J-TUufvK0gU
Comments: Kamelot was one of the first (symphonic) 'metal' bands I really liked, and I feel like it's a fitting tribute to the band that sparked my love of a genre to end with one of their songs."Ghost Opera" is one of their more symphonic pieces, so I decided to use it instead of the less symphonic song "Forever," which happens to be the first song of theirs I heard. Enjoy the song, and have a good weekend!

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Entry 71-- Symphonic Metal Week, Part 5: "Ghost Opera" - Kamelot

Symphonic Metal Week, Part 5
Song: "Ghost Opera"
Artist: Kamelot
http://youtu.be/J-TUufvK0gU
Comments: Kamelot was one of the first (symphonic) 'metal' bands I really liked, and I feel like it's a fitting tribute to the band that sparked my love of a genre to end with one of their songs."Ghost Opera" is one of their more symphonic pieces, so I decided to use it instead of the less symphonic song "Forever," which happens to be the first song of theirs I heard. Enjoy the song, and have a good weekend!

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Entry 52-- "Memento Mori"

Song: "Memento Mori"
Artist: Kamelot
Comments: I hate doing this, but I'm using one of my favourite songs ever as filler. As I write this, I feel incredibly terrible, and am quite simply not up to writing anything verbose or covering anything new. "Memento Mori" is an excellent song, but long. Enjoy!

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Entry 52-- "Memento Mori"

Song: "Memento Mori"
Artist: Kamelot
Comments: I hate doing this, but I'm using one of my favourite songs ever as filler. As I write this, I feel incredibly terrible, and am quite simply not up to writing anything verbose or covering anything new. "Memento Mori" is an excellent song, but long. Enjoy!

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Entry 28-- "The Haunting (Somewhere in Time)"

Song: "The Haunting (Somewhere in Time)"
Artist: Kamelot
http://youtu.be/XvI5w0cG68o
Comments: As promised, not an electronic song today! This is one of my favourite songs by one of my favourite bands in one of my favourite genres. There is a video to this song, but it's not the greatest thing ever, and the quality is a tad low, so I decided to dispense with it and just paste in the link to the album version. Enjoy!

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Entry 28-- "The Haunting (Somewhere in Time)"

Song: "The Haunting (Somewhere in Time)"
Artist: Kamelot
http://youtu.be/XvI5w0cG68o
Comments: As promised, not an electronic song today! This is one of my favourite songs by one of my favourite bands in one of my favourite genres. There is a video to this song, but it's not the greatest thing ever, and the quality is a tad low, so I decided to dispense with it and just paste in the link to the album version. Enjoy!

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